Final Departure: Bonds of the Heart
by Jackpot777
Summary: After Xemnas' defeat, Sora returns to Destiny Islands with Riku and Kairi. Shortly after his return, he begins having nightmares that could be the start of what he believes will be his final journey. No yaoi. Formerly known Final Departure.
1. Real Nightmare

**A/N: **I'm starting a Kingdom Hearts one that will be quite long, I think.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Kingdom Hearts franchise.

* * *

Sora stood in his Dive of the Heart, on the green Snow White platform. He looked around. Roxas hadn't summoned him, but that made him wonder….Who did?

He wore large black and silver shoes; black pants and navy blue belt, a dark gray shirt with a black, unzipped jacket over it, solid black gloves, and his signature crown necklace and wallet chain.

He heard footsteps from over his shoulder. They were slow and you could hear the heel of the foot drop and then the front. Sora turned to see something, or someone.

It had to be human. It had a dark mask and a bodysuit that looked like it hugged the body. It was red and black with outlines of muscles on it. His dark boots moved slowly and contrasted the color of the platform.

Sora took a step back each time it went forward. When it stopped, it tilted its head. "What's wrong, Ventus?"

"Who are you? And who's Ventus?" Sora shouted, taking a defensive battle stance.

"Come on, we need to get moving. Master Xehanort is waiting for us," he said.

Sora had to take a moment to process that it had a similar to his. Then again, his guard went down as he contemplated that he said something about Xehanort. "How do you know Xehanort?"

"Man, you really took over Ventus, huh?" Vanitas walked to his left, head down.

"What do you mean?" Sora summoned the Kingdom Key and pointed it at the figure.

"I suggest you put that down," he warned, summoning his own keyblade. Sora stared at it in awe.

"Do you like it? It's called the χ-blade, with the ancient letter, not 'key'. It's incomplete, but I just need something from you." Vanitas ran his index and thumb across the edge of the blade.

"Me?" Sora held the Kingdom Key in both of his hands.

"Yes." Vanitas pointed to Sora's chest. "I need Ventus' heart. Either you give it to me and I let you live, or I'll have to extract it from you the hard way."

Sora had to find out who this guy was to do anything. "Fine, but tell me your name and how you know Xehanort."

"The name's Vanitas, by the way. But I don't think I can just tell you." Vanitas held his blade with one hand, the same way Riku held his.

Sora lunged at Vanitas, accepting the challenge. From the air, Sora threw his keyblade over his head, hoping to get more force into it. When he came closer to Vanitas, he swung it forward.

Vanitas blocked it with the χ-blade, creating sparks between the blades. Sora could partially see behind the mask. All he could see was a set of golden eyes.

With little effort, Vanitas knocked him back. Sora used his keyblade to stop by touching the tip of it to the floor as he was sent back.

The same friction was caused, although a screeching sound was heard. Sora was panting heavily as he stood up. This guy wasn't a joke. He was the real deal.

"Come on, Ventus, unleash your true power and help with the χ-blade!" Vanitas yelled.

"Look, I don't know who Ventus is, but I'm Sora! Nobody else! Only Sora, got it? So-ra!" He enunciated, holding the Kingdom Key up, casting Cure. "Show your face!"

Without a word, Vanitas jumped to Sora, a dark aura surrounded the incomplete blade as he brought it down to clash with Sora's keyblade. "Is this all you have in you, Sora?"

He growled, pushing back his enemy into the air. To his dismay, he saw Vanitas land gracefully on his feet. Vanitas put out his left hand, curling his index and middle finger to signal Sora to come forward.

Sora rushed over to Vanitas, a scowl on his face as he clashed with him. They repeatedly hit their blades together, trying to force each other back.

When Vanitas put the dark aura around the blade again and tried to strike, Sora used the Kingdom Key to catch the blade through the center of the two connected keys.

Behind the mask, Vanitas was surprised at Sora's actions. In a swift movement, Sora pulled back his keyblade, having the top hooked onto the χ-blade and swung it to the left, releasing it from Vanitas' hands. He followed it up by striking the mask of him.

The dark glass cracked slightly until it broke in half and fell. Sora was wide-eyed as he saw Vanitas' face. "M-me?"

Vanitas smirked as Sora stumbled backwards. "What, surprised?"

"Why do you look like me?" Sora rose up the Kingdom Key again.

"Ventus. I look like you because of him, since I am a part of him and always will be." Vanitas stepped forward, monsters appearing behind him.

"Heartless?" Sora held the blade in his hands.

"These beings are not Heartless. They are Unversed, monsters that come from negative emotions. I create them and even when you defeat them, they will always come back to me," Vanitas explained.

Sora saw a Darkside appear from behind Vanitas and two Twilight Thorns appearing next to it. Shadows and dusks surrounded him as he sank into a portal of darkness. He released his keyblade and tried to rise back up from the impending darkness that would eat him.

Vanitas stepped forward to see Sora sink down, struggling to get up. A smirk covered his face as he motioned a goodbye to Sora.

When all Sora could see was black, he lost all feeling in his body. Silently, he hoped that Kairi's hand would grab his and pull him back into the light, as Naminé had done to Roxas.

_Kairi. _Sora felt the darkness as a force that tried to crush him. Because of how the element felt, he couldn't tell if his eyes were opened or closed.

_Is this it? Is this how it'll end for me? Without Goofy, Donald, Riku, Roxas, or Kairi? _ Sora relaxed his body to the dark, refusing to fight back until he felt the familiar feel of water.

He could hear muffled voices. They were calling his name. No doubt it was Riku and Kairi, telling him to get back on land. He opened his eyes and saw the faint light of the sunset.

When Sora's body surfaced on the water, he looked up at the dual colored sky. The orange and magenta creating a simple feel that he wanted to bathe in forever.

It would calm him from what had happened in his mind. Many questions ran through his mind as he blinked and started to turn over to swim back to the island. The centered around that blade Vanitas held, Vanitas himself, Ventus, and the monsters called Unversed.

His serious face stayed until he could perfectly see Kairi and Riku on the island, waving for him. Sora created the illusion that he was happy, that everything he had seen earlier didn't happen.

* * *

As he lay in bed, with his hands behind his head, he sighed in frustration. "Who is Vanitas?"

He looked at the island, the place where everything happened. The place where his life as a keyblade wielder started. His eyes softened, gazing at the Paopu Tree where he and his friends sat.

Sora went on his side, the one facing his window, covering himself with his blanket as he shut his eyes, hoping to forget about Vanitas. But the name stuck, and so did what he said. "Master Xehanort? If Vanitas is real, then could Kairi be in danger?"

The next morning, he awoke to the voice of his mom, who called, "Sora, there are people here to see you!"

With a loud yawn and a stretch, he pulled the covers off and going down stairs. A shine went into his bright blue eyes and a grin widened.

"Donald! Goofy!" Sora said happily as he tackled his friends down.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, that was the first chapter of my story, so I hope you liked it. I think Sora's serious when he needs to be, right? I also gave him a new look because he's now sixteen and he should get something new. Now, Sora will start out with the Kingdom Key because it's his basic blade and because it's my favorite.

The χ-blade Vanitas wields in incomplete, of course because he is not fused with Ventus at the moment. And you can pronounce the χ as 'kye' or 'key'.

AM I the only one that dislikes the fact the Dream Drop Distance is only on the 3DS? I hope not.

If you like this chapter, or the storyline I'm trying to create, leave a review!


	2. Flames of Friendship

**A/N: **Just in a Birth by Sleep/Kingdom Hearts mood, right now. Really strange.

* * *

"Sora, get off!" Donald complained under his former teammate.

"Yeah, I gotta agree with Donald," Goofy said, trying to break free.

Sora's mom had walked out of the room, probably surprised at her son's behavior. Sora reluctantly let go. "Sorry guys. It's just been so long since I've seen you. How's King Mickey?"

"The King? His Majesty wanted us to give you something," Goofy stated, taking out a small black box.

Sora raised an eyebrow as he took it away. He looked around each side, before pulling open the top. His blue eyes examined it carefully. "What is it?"

"We weren't allowed to look." Donald crossed his arms.

It appeared to be a cross between a Nobody sign and a Heartless sign. It was a silver color. He put it on his palm and tried to show Donald and Goofy.

They both instinctively covered their eyes with their hands. They both spoke in unison, "Nope, His Majesty told us not to look at it, no matter what!"

"Really?" Sora asked as he nodded.

He turned it over to see an identical side to it. It seemed to be something important if Mickey didn't allow Donald and Goofy to see it.

"Hey, uh, Sora, can you put it away now?" Goofy suggested.

"Oh," Sora said, "sure, Goofy."

He put it back inside the dark box and shut it tightly. "Alright, guys. You can look now."

Donald and Goofy slowly removed their hands from their faces. Sora had the box in his left hand as Donald examined it. "Sora, what was it?"

"Donald! The King said not to look!" Goofy rose up his index finger.

"He never said we couldn't ask," Donald protested. "Right, Goofy?"

He scratched his cheek as he thought about it. "I guess not."

Donald gave Sora an expectant stare as he held out the box. Sora opened it enough so that only he could see it. He fumbled with the words. "It's, uh, a symbol for something."

"What kind? I mean, what shape is it?" Donald questioned.

Sora raised an eyebrow and sighed, "I really don't know how, guys. Sorry."

"Well, it worth a shot, right, Donald?" Goofy turned to his partner.

"I guess." Donald crossed his arms.

Sora looked at both of his friends and put the box in his pocket. He scratched the back of his head. "Do you guys want to go to the island to see Riku and Kairi?"

"We're very busy—"

"Sure thing, Sora!" Goofy agreed, cutting off Donald.

When Donald was about to protest, his friends grabbed both of his arms and rushed him out of the front door they busted open. Goofy quickly looked over at Sora. "Hey, why're you already dressed?"

He looked at his clothing and said, "Oh, I guess I fell asleep in them. They don't stink, do they?"

Donald, through the shaking of his friends pulling him to the shore, sniffed and grimaced. "They do, Sora! So change!"

The keyblade wielder grinned widely, refusing to fulfill Donald's request. The sun shone brighter, making it seem that everything was perfect. Making Sora believe that everything was over, although a part of him, a different part, told him that it wasn't.

* * *

Aqua walked down the shore of the Dark Margin, looking beyond the dark waters to the gray sky. She let her eyes drop to the sand that squished under her footsteps. She stopped, closing her eyes. "How long has it been since I've been stuck here?"

Quickly, she sat down, her eyes looking up at the blank sky. "Ven, Terra, I will find a way to bring us together again, no matter what."

"Are you sure?" A low voice asked behind her.

Aqua instantly turned to look at the cloaked man. His hood was pulled over his head so she could not see his face as he walked to stand right next to her. She felt a strange aura from him as he looked into nothingness.

"Who _exactly _are you?" She asked, staring intently at him.

"Ansem, Ansem the Wise." He pulled down the hood, revealing his blond hair and amber eyes. "From Radiant Garden."

_Radiant Garden? Like that world Kairi came from? _She watched his eyes, which shifted from the water to the sand under his boots.

"Or should I say Hollow Bastion?" Ansem wondered.

She widened her eyes. "Hollow Bastion? What is that place?"

"Hollow Bastion is what is left of Radiant Garden, a fallen dominion that is now only a fraction of what it was," Ansem explained, looking at Aqua. "No longer does Kairi walk on those grounds, as most of its people have been scattered across the worlds, desperately searching for a way back home to their family."

"You know her?" Aqua looked at Ansem with a curious expression.

"Yes, but, in truth, it would have been better if I hadn't. She is a Princess of the Heart, targeted by many beings of darkness that want her heart. Then again, she is a keyblade wielder, so it could not be helped." He looked at her with softer eyes, knowing what she saw thinking. "It is not because of you, Master Aqua. For you might have been the one to save her, not her Protector of Light."

She looked straight ahead, a single tear of joy falling from her eye as she knew who it was. In a soft voice, hope in her eyes, she said a single name, "Sora."

* * *

_Where am I? _Ven moved on Sora's Station platform, looking at the image of a young Sora holding the Kingdom Key.

"_C'mon, Donald! Lighten up!" _Sora's voice resonated around Ven.

"Donald? Like the one I met at the tower of Yen Sid?" Ven walked forward, watching the platform change from the young Sora to a new one.

It was a red platform with an image of Vanitas and Sora stood, facing each other. In Vanitas' hand was the incomplete χ-blade. Sora held the Kingdom Key, his eyes glaring at Vanitas. Vanitas was unmasked, his face identical to Sora's as he smirked.

"Vanitas and that kid are the same," Ven noticed as he heard a different sound from over his shoulder.

As he turned, as staircase appeared, although the steps were not connected, more of floating in space. He moved quickly to the steps as he had the natural curiosity of a puppy. "Hey, maybe if I keep going forward, I'll find Terra and Aqua!"

Ven ran up the steps, making sure he didn't trip and fall off into the darkness. He neared the next platform, seeing glimpses of what the picture was. To his surprise, it was a green background with an image of him and someone who looks like him.

He stopped to stare at the door at the end of the station. He kept his eyes down as he ran to it, stopping in front of the handles that he gripped. Ven pulled it with all his might, but still couldn't open it.

"What?" He wondered as he felt a quake which pushed him on his back.

His blue eyes looked at the door as it became engulfed in darkness. He felt another quake as before, but had noticed a presence behind him. He turned around, looking as the Twilight Thorn stood, towering over himself.

From the ground, he saw more beings of darkness appear, but they didn't have the same feel as Vanitas or the Unversed. He summoned his keyblade, Wayward Wind, and held it backhand, as he became accustomed to.

The Darksides and Twilight Thorns seemed to grow bigger as more Heartless, namely Shadows and Soldiers, and more Nobodies, the Dusks, appear. As the crowded around Ven, he tried to fight them off, swinging his keyblade trying to hit an enemy as he heard a voice speak.

"_It has begun, Master Xehanort," _it boomed._ "Organization XIII will be restored, as well as the key to making the χ-blade."_

"Who are you?" Ven was able to get out as his vision blurred into darkness as images of his conversation with Lea and Isa appeared.

_Got it memorized? _His eyes opened immediately as he felt his keyblade change from Wayward Wind to Frolic Flame. Flames erupted from it, destroying the Heartless and Nobodies the element touched.

Ven felt a surge of power as the keyblade glowed, prepared to be used.

* * *

**A/N: **How about that chapter? I liked it, especially since I got to write three different scenes. Just to let you know, they are all happening at the same time. And this is not a VenxLea thing, I swear. Didn't I state no yaoi in the summary?

Frolic Flame – The keyblade you get after meeting Lea in Radiant Garden in BBS.

Wayward Wind – Ven's default keyblade he starts with in BBS.

If you're wondering, "Hey, why is this author writing about Aqua, Ven, and Sora, but not any of the others?" I need to say this right now. This is going to be pretty long, or so I think and I'll need some time to think things through. And do you have any idea how hard it would be to place Terra-Xehanort, or so I and some others call, Terranort?

Give me some time. Next chapter coming soon!


	3. Double Trouble

**A/N: **Just wrote this because I felt like I wanted to. And yes, I changed the title. At least it's still recognizable to you guys. All I did was add a colon and several other words.

* * *

Ven hopped on his feet, raising his left hand up and flames swirled around his body and keyblade. He watched the Heartless and Nobodies seemed to quarrel with each other as he stood still.

He swung the keyblade forward, mixing the physical attack with expanding flames. Ven knocked away numerous Dusks and Soldiers, although the Shadows had sunk into the ground.

_What are these things anyway? _Ven did a back flip attacking the Dusks that came after him in the air. The flames made a barrier around his body as he lunged forward, using a thunder attack on Frolic Flame. The mixture of the powers made a small explosion on his enemies.

The Soldiers moved around in a strained walk. More Heartless appeared around Ven as he groaned, "Where are these things coming from?"

With the attacks he had done, he activated his Thunderbolt form, the flames disappearing, now surrounded by a bright yellow light. Ven leaped up, drawing his keyblade back and swinging it forward, lightning eliminating the monsters that came after him.

Remembering his keyblade, he looked around. "Lea, are you there? Terra, Aqua?"

No response came as he saw the Heartless and Nobodies disappear, leaving only the larger ones. The Darkside grabbed him and brought him up to look at the squirming keyblade wielder. The Heartless threw him up in the air to a large sphere of darkness that had a purple flame inside.

He looked at it with panic as he turned to face what would be waiting for him when he returned down. If he ever did make it back down, that is. A strange force seemed to take over his body as he turned back to face the sphere as he pulled back the fiery keyblade. Ven growled as he threw it into the large force.

When the keyblade made into the sphere, he heard a large explosion as he blasted back to the platform. Before he was able to hit the ground, the Twilight Thorn grabbed him. The Nobody brought the both of them up into the dark space as Ven watched as Frolic Flame fell to the ground.

The keyblade fell in the image of Ven, right in the middle of his torso. He moved his head to see both of his remaining enemies. _I need to find Terra and Aqua! I gotta get through this!_

Twilight Thorn, from the air, threw Ven to slam into the keyblade that stuck out from the ground. In an act of pure instinct, he put his front to the ground as he reached out, to catch of keyblade. With a flash, his weapon came back into his hand as he raised it above his head.

As he neared what would be the end of him, he stuck the tip of the keyblade into the platform and using it to push himself in a somersault. When he landed on his feet, he was looking into nothingness. Over his shoulder, he could see Darkside. Ven looked up, seeing the Nobody descend slowly to the platform.

He flicked his eyes back and spun around to attack the falling Nobody. He could hear a growl from Twilight Thorn and started to rapidly walk up the Nobody. As he neared the shoulder, he jumped up to be able to see the Darkside and his main target.

Ven shut his eyes, powering one of his strongest attacks. Over the time of practicing Tornado, he was able to form a newer, better version of the Tornado. He called it the Hurricane.

As he gained the power to control the force of the winds, he quickly opened his eyes and rose up his keyblade, creating a large hurricane that took in the two monsters, twisting them around in circles viciously.

Ferocious growling was heard from both of them as Ven started to land softly on his feet, forcing the two away, off of the platform. He hoped to throw them into the darkness. Without knowing it, flames were mixed in with the winds that held the Heartless and Nobody.

Ven felt a grin tug at his lips as he saw the mixture. "Thank you, Lea."

Trying hard to keep the attack going he pulled back Frolic Flame and swung it violently, pushing Darkside and Twilight Thorn over the edge of the station. Ven relaxed for a second, dropping down and kneeling. Ven panted heavily over the strain that was put on his physical and magical abilities.

"Good thing that's over," Ven sighed, looking at the keyblade. "Without Lea, I wouldn't have been able to do anything. Guess I really did have it memorized."

In a flash, the keyblade reverted back to Wayward Wind as he fell on his back and shut his eyes, yawning loudly. His keyblade disappeared as he stretched his arms across the floor as someone joined him on the platform. Of course, he didn't notice as he had fallen asleep, his dreams taking over his mind.

Roxas took a step back as he saw Ven with him and when he saw the image of him and Ven. The feel of Ven's presence made him weak, as though he was losing something important to him. He fell down on his hands and knees. Wincing, he grabbed his chest to where his heart would be. _Am…I losing something I need? A…heart?_

* * *

"Sora, come on!" Riku waved from the shore of the small island. "You don't want to keep Kairi waiting!"

When he heard that, Sora started to move the oar faster to the island. Thanks to his superhuman strength despite his scrawny arms, he was able to paddle quick enough to worry Donald and Goofy. Goofy grabbed onto the side of the boat with his head in a daze. "Uh, Sora, you really need to slow down! I think I'm getting sick!"

"Me too!" Donald agreed, being knocked around the floor of the small boat, hitting his head.

Donald's hat was pushed off, moving in all directions. On his feet, he tried to get it back, lunging to grab it. When he did, he banged his head against the rim and his body landed on Goofy. Sora, somehow, stayed in one place.

He looked at his friends and smiled. "What are you lookin' for, Donald?"

Goofy scratched his head, being aware of the loss of his own hat. He looked around, seeing both his and Donald's hat in the tip of the boat. Donald and Goofy jumped for it, but instead they knocked over the whole boat.

Kairi and Riku laughed as the whole boat flipped over, soaking the three. When Donald arose from the water, he was wearing Goofy's hat and Goofy was wearing his. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Sora came to the surface and felt a wave of clashing emotions within his heart and looked at all of his friends with a sullen look. It was somehow a déjà vu for him.

* * *

"_Hey, how come I'm the only one in the water?" Ven complained, looking at his friends at the shore._

_The two laughed at him, earning a playful smile from Ven, who started to swim to them. As he neared, he held his hand out for someone to grab it and Terra outstretched his. The two boys looked at each other with a grin before Ven pulled him in._

_Terra came to the top of the water and shook his head to dry his hair like a dog. He looked at the giggling Aqua and held out his hand, which she refused with a grin. When he started to get closer to her, she moved away, laughing as she did so. He smiled at her back and said, "Oh, no you don't Aqua!"_

_From head to toe, he was soaked in water as he chased after her on the shore while Ven was rising from the water, catching up to them in a matter of seconds. With a smile, he was able to tackle the both of them down. They all laughed loudly and looked up at the stars in the sky. _

_Eraqus grinned warmly at his apprentices and walked back to the main building. The three friends fell asleep under the light of the moon and stars._

* * *

That weird scene went over Sora's mind as he swam to Riku and Kairi with his two former teammates. As he went to the shore of the small island, he looked at the flipped over boat as he felt someone tap his head with a small hand.

He turned his head to Kairi, who was smiling at him with bright eyes. For some reason, he felt as though it was only the two of them, as if he wanted it that way. Riku grinned at the two, thinking that life like this was much more simpler than what they've experienced.

* * *

**A/N: **I actually really enjoy writing this, you know? I especially like writing Ven because he's just a cool character. I know, I know: Lack of Sora, Terra, Aqua, and others. Like I said, it's going to be a _long _story.

Now, I want to tell you a trivia fact of about Ven's name. Ventus is a Latin word, of course, but it's not really pronounced Ven-tus as the games say it. It's actually pronounced Wen-tus. The 'W' is left out in the game version because they may not have known about the 'V' to 'W' thing. Either that or Wentus would be a bit stupid.

And I did create Hurricane as an original move because I wanted something that would have more area over a Tornado. After my 5 minute search about Tornado vs. Hurricane, I was able to find out that Tornadoes are stronger, but Hurricanes cover much more area and can last longer. The official color for it, as I chose, is green, like the tornado. When you mix it with Lea's fire, turn the color red and add fire. I just like Lea, okay? No yaoi, I just like friendship!


	4. Distortion

**A/N: **I already know what you're thinking, "This chapter is late!" There's not really a good reason other than I just discovered Spotify, which I keep playing my favorite songs on. Now, here's the chapter I took so long to write, sorry about that. I swear I will update regularly after my school year ends, which is about two weeks from now. Let's get on with it!

* * *

"Master Xehanort," a cloaked being with a distorted voice said. "Why must we wait?"

He walked toward the center of Hollow Bastion, where the fountain was. They were working so hard to restore their home to the way it was. The dark sky made the world seem dead. The being had his eyes glowing red from under his hood.

"I wonder how you will go through with it," It said, looking up. "I always wondered about you."

He hung his head down, walking toward a portal he opened to get to his next destination. From over his shoulder, he heard running footsteps. Without speeding up, he walked through opening he created. Looking over his shoulder, he saw what appeared to be someone he remembered.

The portal closed as his final step was heard. Leon stopped as he saw the person who caught his interest disappear. He didn't know who or what, it was, but the person he saw was up to no good. The aura that surrounded it was something that a Heartless or Nobody or something dangerous could give off.

Leon heard Yuffie chasing after him earlier, but could no longer hear anything but the crickets that chirped. He walked up to the fountain, where the being once stood. He rested his hands on the rim of it as he sighed. His entire mind was blank, not being able to process what he saw.

Was it the Organization? Or something worse? He didn't know if he would ever be able to answer those questions, but he did know who could. But he had no way of reaching Sora at all. The only thing he could hope for is his inner plea for help to reach him. Unless he can find someone who was able to travel through worlds.

"Cloud?" Leon asked himself, knowing that Cloud was able to go from Olympus Coliseum to Hollow Bastion. He turned around, running toward his headquarters, also known as Merlin's house. With a fast pace, he ran through the streets to meet his blond rival. Hopefully, one of his attempts would go through.

* * *

"Castle Oblivion, such a worthless shell of its former world," Vanitas said as he walked closer to the entrance. His helmet had been shattered when he fought Sora. Funny, he didn't think that Sora would believe it to be all a dream.

He walked slowly, wanting to take in the sight of the place Aqua had formed. That girl had so much potential wasted on saving her friends. If only she could have used it to further his plans, not to hinder it. Vanitas ran his golden eyes over the castle that was once the place of operations of Organization XIII.

He wanted to see what sort beings took his place as a threat. When he was only a matter of yards from the gate, he stopped. Vanitas held out his hand to face the keyhole that was placed in the middle of the door. From a flash of darkness, his keyblade, Void Gear, appeared in his hand. Despite being a creation of darkness, the light that unlocked the keyhole was a beam of bright light.

The keyhole disappeared, the door opened to reveal the sleek, silver interior. He smirked at the small sight as he continued walking. When he stepped onto the marble floor of the castle, he became the most noticeable thing in the room. As the door shut behind him, Vanitas looked at the Nobody symbols that covered the walls.

He continued his strut through the castle, with a psychotic smile on his face. To match his look, he laughed loudly, echoing through the near empty palace. Along with his laugh, he said in a loud voice, "Ventus, come out, come out wherever you are."

* * *

Sora held a Paopu Fruit in his hand, holding it up to the dimming light of the sun. Time really does fly by when you're having fun for him. He felt someone push his head down to face the sand of the shore. Without looking up, he shouted, "Riku!"

"Come on," Riku chuckled. "We have to get back home soon."

Sora looked at the Paopu fruit, wanting to share it with Kairi, but he already knew that she was on the other side of the island. He would never make it in time to give it to her, even if he would go at full speed.

As he looked back at the island, he felt Riku grab the back of his shirt, pulling him to the boats. He was trying to regain his balance while fighting off Riku's grip. "H-hey, can't we wait for Kairi?"

Riku shook his head, telling Sora that she would spend some time showing Donald and Goofy around the island and all of its fun secrets. He felt some jealously grow within him as he wanted to spend more time with her.

Accidentally, he dropped the fruit as he was trying to get away. The yellow fruit was stationary as the water of the shore moving closer to it. Sora knew that they were getting closer to the boats as he heard the footsteps of Riku on the wood of the dock.

Letting him go, Riku started to board the small boat. As he stood still, Riku held out his hand for Sora, who was turned toward the ocean to the main island. From the corner of his eye, Sora could see his friend offer to share the boat. With a slow movement, he grabbed onto Riku's hand, keeping his eyes on the shore of the other island.

He sat behind Riku, grabbing an oar to paddle with his friend. As the two of them moved in the water, he heard footsteps on the dock. Sora turned his head to see Kairi, Donald, and Goofy waving to him and Riku.

"See you guys tomorrow!" She shouted at them with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, see you," Riku answered, still paddling the boat with Sora.

With a small grin, Riku turned to look forward at the other dock. His eyes drifted over to see over his shoulder. He teased, "You like her, don't you?"

"What? Now, I don't! Stop making things up, Riku!" Sora defended, moving the oar faster. Before he could tell Sora to stop being so reckless, Riku say something bright on the far side of the main island.

He looked up at the sky to see a beam of light coming down from the sky. Riku, out of surprise, dropped his oar on the side of the boat. It landed inside of the boat with a loud noise as Sora looked to see what was going on.

Sora watched the beam disappear, something making the sky glow from the opposing side of the island in front of him. Something within him had to go to it. He didn't know what it was, but he had a need to get to that part of the island.

"Riku, what is that?" Sora asked, stopping all of his movements. He felt Riku jump out of the boat and into the water, making a splash. Before his eyes, his friend was in the water, swimming to the shore. Following his friend, he swam to catch up with him. He turned his head slightly, watching as Kairi was returning to the other side of the island.

He gave a sigh of relief as he saw that her back was turned to him. Sora continued moving through the water to follow Riku. The older boy could feel something strange in his heart. Something that was reawakening the darkness within him. Although he tried to suppress it, it kept becoming a bother to his mental state.

As he sprinted on the shore, soaking wet, he felt the ache in his heart again. Riku could feel it wasn't his heart in trouble; it was someone close to him that he barely knew at all. The only thing that came out of it was that his friends weren't in danger that he knew of. But the question he wondered: Who was?

* * *

"Why don't you just surrender your heart to me, boy?" Xehanort wondered his old voice was gruff.

The two stood facing each other in the dark remnants of Terra's heart. Their physical body has been lost, only left to be a wandering heart. Their souls clashed many times during their fusion, but neither of them had the power to overwhelm the other.

"I won't give up until I can repay Aqua for saving me. I won't stop until I return the favor to her by saving Ven," Terra said.

"Such a foolish way of thinking. You simple-minded youth," Xehanort chuckled at the boy's words. "If I were you, I would be thinking about myself, not the ones who are supposedly your 'friends'."

"Shut up!" Terra yelled, agitated at the old man's bold choice of words. "You don't know either of them like I do!"

"Oh, I don't know the friends you shut from your life to go on the path of darkness? I think I know Ventus more than you ever will," Xehanort retorted.

* * *

**A/N: **I needed to get this out before June because I won't leave a story alone for too long. I think it's good enough for a fourth chapter. But I do need to explain how Vanitas is there, or materialized. I got that done in my head already.

So, the only thing I need to say is that Void Gear is the name of Vanitas' keyblade, if you didn't know. Well, it's the name of the one you get from the Vanitas remnant in the game. Sorry about the late update.

Well, if you like how this story is going or the chapter, leave a review! Please? It's just a compliment to give, guys.


	5. Collision

**A/N: **Thank you to the people who reviewed! Before I begin, I will tell you that today, for me, is the day my exams at school ended and I'm back! Regular updates are coming soon, and I hope you like them!

* * *

"Then how did you get here?" Leon wondered with disbelief in his voice. He stared at Cloud with wide eyes, an expression new to the both of them. Cloud shrugged, scratching the back of his head at Leon's words.

"Don't know, Leon," he said. "One day I was walking down to the vestibule of Olympus to begin my tournament to train to get Sephiroth, and everything went black. Then I woke up here, no recollection about how I got here. But I think it's for a reason."

"A reason? What kind of reason could it be for you to wind up here without any warning?" Leon questioned, putting his hands in his pockets. He turned to the door of Merlin's house.

"The reason you were whisked away to Traverse Town from here." Cloud answered, watching his rival's back. "To do something important. But I guess I failed, seeing as how Sephiroth got away. I'm trying to keep going forward, to find what I've been looking for all this time."

Leon turned to the blond, who was staring at Cid's computer. His eyes were fixated on the moving text on the screen. "I need to go back to Olympus because that's where I'll search for _him_."

"Sephiroth?" He asked, looking at Cloud who was walking toward his blade. He gripped the handle tightly, taking in the appearance of his weapon. He put it on the strap on his lower back and started to walk towards the door.

"No, not him. It's someone else that's really important to me," Cloud said, walking out of the door. "Sorry I couldn't help you with getting the message through to Sora."

* * *

"Don't you even feel bad for hurting many people, Terra?" Xehanort pondered.

"What do you mean?" The young man asked in return.

"That boy from Destiny Islands, Riku," He answered. "Don't you remember the boy you gave the keyblade's power to?"

The old man's smile turned wicked as he kept his eyes on him. His hands were behind his back, trying to control the darkness in Terra's heart. Terra was in his fighting stance as he stared at Xehanort. All of his focus was on trying to summon his own keyblade.

But before he was so close to call upon his weapon, orbs of darkness locked his hands and wrists. He kneeled, watching Xehanort walk closer to him, breaking the barrier of darkness that kept them from harming each other.

"Stupid boy, you can't compete with the one who is stronger than you," he said, grabbed Terra's hair forcefully. He stared at him with his golden eyes, devoid of all emotion other than the hatred and anger that he kept inside.

The darkness started to physically harm him as he was let free from Xehanort. The old man began to walk away, his back turned to Terra. As he stopped, he raised his right arm to his side. From his hand, darkness surrounded around it, forming his keyblade, the intimidating eye on the hilt looking deep within Terra's soul.

"Time to fully overwhelm you, Terra," Xehanort chuckled, turning to him. His keyblade was held to point at Terra, more precisely his heart. He tried to break free as the old man got closer to his position. The darkness around him was starting to grow smaller.

As it started to disperse, it felt like scorching flames on his arms. Although it wasn't leaving any marks, it felt like that to him. Once his hands were freed, he back flipped to his feet, watching Xehanort carefully. The darkness within Terra had kept him from calling upon Ends of the Earth. To counteract the effect of his dominant force, he summoned his Chaos Ripper, which was made of darkness.

He ran toward Xehanort, the keyblade pulled back to attack with power. The two keyblades clashed, all of the strength within Terra was being released in his darkest form. Xehanort pushed back the young man, knocking him to skid on the dark floor of their combined hearts.

"You dare defy me?" Xehanort asked in disbelief, threatening his foe with his keyblade. Terra remained unfazed, a scowl on his face as he kept his glare. He clenched his fist, going back into the position he used when he was ready for battle.

"You bet. I'm not going to stop until I atone for everything I've done, even if it means using darkness to defeat you."

* * *

"Ventus?" Vanitas wondered in a sing-song voice, looking in every room of the castle. He summoned his Void Gear, shooting beams of darkness at the walls. While not surprised, he saw all of the beams reflect off of them. One went past his shoulder, the beam going at lightning speed.

"What do you think you're doing?" Mickey yelled, summoning his golden keyblade. Vanitas looked back at him, smirking at the King. In his hand, he held his keyblade, Void Gear.

Mickey was ready to battle for his friend as he held the golden keyblade tightly. Vanitas laughed at him, darkness forming around the rim of the room, locking the both of them it until somebody won. "Bring it, King."

From hearing the boy's words, he rushed over, pulling his keyblade back. Mickey tried to strike Vanitas, only clashing the keys. The conflicting light and dark was creating an extreme force that was beginning to be too much for the King.

Vanitas pushed him back, leaping in the air to collect darkness around his blade. With power, he gripped the handle with both hands, pushing Mickey down. He struggled to fight off the boy; the light was not on his side at the time.

He remembered speaking to Yen Sid, who had told him that Ventus and Vanitas were once one whole being. Realizing this, he knew he couldn't win by normal battle means. Vanitas became stronger around his other half, the heart present or not.

"Too much for you?" Vanitas taunted as he backed away from Mickey, jumping over his head. When he landed on his feet, he raised the keyblade above his head, creating a dome of darkness over his body. He picked this ability up when he took the body of his remnant and changed it to his original form.

From it, a stream of dark energy followed him as he reappeared above Mickey, striking down. He defended against it, but couldn't handle the repeated assault by the oncoming strikes of Vanitas. The dome disappeared as the real one was higher than Mickey, facing down.

Keeping his blade straight, he spun in a wheel moving down to attack the King. He tried to hold his ground from the attack, but wasn't able to stop the overwhelming force. As he held the keyblade with both of his hands, he tried to push Vanitas back with no luck.

He kept the Kingdom Key D in his right hand, removing his left. In his left, with all of his light, he summoned the Star Seeker. Mickey started his own assault, striking with both of his keyblades. Now the boy had to defend from him.

From the combination of attacks of Mickey, he pushed himself back in the air. He put both of his keyblades in front of him, spinning them at high speed. As he started to move them in a spiral, a large beam of light was in Vanitas's direction.

Vanitas summoned his own ray of darkness in return, fighting off the light. In the center of their clashing elements, the powers were going haywire, reflecting off of the walls of Castle Oblivion. They moved to dodge them while trying to keep the other at bay.

The power from Vanitas was wild, opposing Mickey's controlled light. While he held the blade in his right hand, he decided to copy his opponent's action. With Ven's body nearby, he summoned another Void Gear, although it was black and white.

While still using the cannon of darkness, he shot beams of darkness at Mickey. The King had tried to dodge, but easily outmatched by the boy of darkness. From the teachings of Yen Sid, he tried to create a barrier to shield him from the oncoming blasts.

He took this moment to shoot his own separate ray at Vanitas. As he tried to pull a keyblade back from the beam, he felt a strain in his body. Mickey felt a sharp pain in his back, his power going down because of the force that his body was not able to handle.

He started to fall to the ground as the beam Vanitas had shot him into the wall. He slammed onto it, sliding down as he saw Vanitas hold two similar keyblades, only palette swaps of each other. Mickey stopped falling as he appeared to sit on the wall.

Vanitas's keyblades disappeared in darkness as a cloaked man walked into his sight. As vision started to fade, Mickey saw the two of them continue walking to the chamber that held Ven. _Sorry, Ven; I wasn't able to help ya…_

"You know, I worry about you, sometimes," the cloaked being with the distorted voice said.

"And you were supposed to be in Realm of Darkness getting rid of Ansem and Aqua," Vanitas said, looking at the door to Ven's chamber.

"Don't worry about that, I've got it handled," it assured.

* * *

**A/N: **That's this week's chapter and I might do weekly updates since I don't have school. How about that? Yes, I will. I'm just answering my own question here.

I will address the two Void Gear keyblades. One of them was Vanitas's original and the other belonged to his remnant.

I feel like telling you something before we go any farther in this story. I will include more worlds than in the other games. To specify, it will include Final Fantasy and Disney worlds. I'm still debating which ones to have, but I do know some I will definitely have, and which ones will just _have_ to be included.

And I didn't forget Ansem, Aqua, Sora, Riku, and the others. I like shorter chapters because I can get them out to you guys faster. I don't think any of these chapters has been over 2,000 words so that you can easily read them.

Okay, there's something really important that I need you to see. This little section of my Author's Note won't be able to hold all of what I have to say. So if you guys can go to the second section of my porfile, I'll have something that is really important regarding this site.

So can you guys leave a review if you liked the chapter? Only a minute of your time to write a compliment. See all of you guys next time!


	6. Fusion

**A/N: **I am making the arrangements for the new worlds that will be introduced later on. They're probably not going to be all that traditional, but some new worlds that haven't been in Kingdom Hearts before.

* * *

Cloud walked through the streets of Hollow Bastion, looking at the walls that were slowly degrading. He was the only one outside, everyone else was either asleep, or just doing something mundane. He saw somebody run down a corner, somebody dressed in black.

Out of his instincts, he ran towards that person, seeing the distance in between them getting smaller. He saw the person run around a corner. Cloud ran faster, seeing the dead end the person he was chasing was running down. As he saw, he reluctantly stopped and turned to look at Cloud.

"Hey, uh, we can settle this, right?" He reasoned with his hands up. His voice sounded similar to Axel's, but his face was covered. In an instant, Cloud summoned his blade, pointing it toward him.

He stared at the man with a threatening gaze. "Who are you?"

"I'm not really allowed to tell you, but I will if you help me with something," he said, trying to calm down Cloud. "No, really, I will!"

"What is it?" The blond started to put down his blade. "You better hurry before I lose my patience."

"Okay, okay. I need to find my friend, Isa. I woke up here and can't find him anywhere. Can you help? I'll make it worth your while." He pulled down his hood, showing his scarlet hair and bright green eyes. "I'll help you with anything, I swear."

"Anything?" Cloud wondered, thinking of using him to help find Sephiroth. He nodded, answering, "Anything. Like defeating people, stealing things, anything you need help with."

Although he knew it was against his morals, Cloud's blade disappeared walking away from him. "Come with me, and I'll help you."

With a bright smile the green eyed man ran after him, seeing Cloud's back. He tried to catch up to him. "Hey, how do you walk so fast?"

"No, you just walk too slowly," he responded. He looked back over his shoulder. "What's your name, anyway?"

"Lea, my name's Lea." He stopped next to Cloud, panting. "Got it memorized?"

Cloud didn't answer, only staring ahead in the direction he needed to go down. Lea was by his side, looking around curiously. "What is this place? It's familiar somehow…"

"It's Hollow Bastion," he answered indifferently. "Or Radiant Garden."

Lea was surprised. "What? This place is Radiant Garden? No way, I'm from there and this does not look anything like it, at all!"

"Just keep your questions for later. Let's just go to where I need to go first before we look for your friend," Cloud said, ignoring Lea.

* * *

"Sora, what do think we should do?" Riku wondered looking at the door in front of them. It was majestic, glowing with light with an aura of darkness in it. It was the height of Riku, the handles were marble, being grabbed by Sora.

He looked back at his older friend, still unsure whether or not to open the door. He looked back at the handle of the door. "I think we should go."

"What about Kairi?" Riku asked, trying to get some sense out of Sora, who didn't look back at him. Sora stared at the handles, wanting to just pull them open and leave. That's what he was used to, anyway.

"Riku, I think we should go. If it's something bad, we'll get rid of it and protect Kairi from it. If it's not, then she won't have to worry, right?" He wondered.

Riku didn't know how to answer it. He couldn't stop Sora from being able to protect Kairi, since that was his main drive on his first journey. There's no way he can stop Sora from following his heart. "If it's really what your heart wills you to do, then go for it."

With reassurance from Riku, Sora closed his eyes as he started to push open the door. As light shone from the growing opening in the door, he started to feel darkness from it. Riku watched as Sora pulled it completely open. The only thing he could see was a bright warm, light.

Sora looked at the light clearly; he wasn't set back by the brightness. He turned his head, looking over at Riku. "Come on, let's go."

The cheery Sora had returned, as he was almost always in the state. When he turned his head back to the door, Riku was following him through it. As soon as they were both through it, all they could see was white. That was until they felt as though they were falling out of the sky.

* * *

Vanitas and his partner walked into Ven's chamber, seeing him sit on the throne Aqua had set up. He looked at his other half amusingly. "They decided to leave you alone, huh?"

His partner stood still, red eyes glowing from under the hood, as he walked over to Ven. He was in arm's length of him as he looked smugly at him. He extended his arm, touching his fingers to Ven's forehead. Vanitas closed his eyes, delving deep within Ven's heart, leading him into Sora's body.

Vanitas found himself on the platform where Ven had fought Darkside and Twilight Thorn. He faced the sleeping Ventus, summoning his keyblade. He walked over to the boy, ready to extract the heart himself. From behind him, he heard Ven's voice yell out, "Stop!"

He looked over his shoulder, seeing Roxas on the ground, looking at him. Roxas was kneeling, glaring at Vanitas. "I don't know who either of you are, but I can't let you take his heart!"

Roxas forced himself up, summoning his Oblivion. He held it backhand, which was new to him. Something inside of him sparked a flame to fight like this. Vanitas chuckled, looking at Roxas with a smug grin.

_This guy, he looks like Sora, but is so different from him. He's darker, more sinister. _He lunged at Vanitas, clashing their keyblades. He took a look into Vanitas's empty golden eyes.

_Man, these guys don't know when to quit when it comes to fighting. _Vanitas pushed him back in the air, jumping back. From his keyblade, he shot blasts of darkness at Roxas. He was aiming precisely and attacking relentlessly.

Roxas held his ground, blocking them with his keyblade the way that was most basic to him. He only had the keyblade block them using the side as he tried to form a plan to defeat Vanitas. He would have to use all that he had.

This guy was unlike anything he'd ever faced when he was in the Organization. He could feel a surging power from within, something he only ever experienced when he could feel Sora use his Final Form. They were connected in power through that one form, as it borrowed his power.

Roxas was trying to memorize the movements of Vanitas as they seemed similar. He felt the effects of the shots hit in the same way every time. As he found out the exact movements and combinations of Vanitas, he twisted his keyblade and launched three fireballs at him that moved at a high speed.

He blocked the flames, a cloud temporarily appearing from it. Without knowing it, Roxas appeared behind Vanitas, striking his back. He fell on his stomach, feeling the pain of being struck by a keyblade that powerful.

Before he could fully fall, he pushed himself with his hands in the air. In his hand appeared the Void Gear, shooting an orb of darkness at Roxas. He dropped to his feet, blocking the attack from his opponent.

Vanitas stood on the platform, looking at Roxas with amusement. "You really want to fight someone you don't even know? That's reckless."

"So are you," Roxas growled, ready to attack again. "Pretty reckless of you."

As the adrenaline in Roxas started to increase, he started to feel a power that is similar to the one that Sora wields. His eyes closed as his magical power started to increase to a dangerous level. The more Vanitas came closer to Ven, it started to grow stronger.

* * *

"Who are you?" Ven wondered, looking at Roxas in his inner mind. "And why do you look like me?"

"Who are you?" Roxas repeated, looking at Ven.

"The name's Ventus, but you can call me Ven," he answered. "Now who are you?"

"Roxas, just plain Roxas," the Nobody answered.

"Hey, why do you think we look the same?" Ven asked.

"I don't know, but I do now that I need to do something, I'm fighting this really strong guy and I need to use everything to beat him."

"What's his name?"

"I have no clue, but he has dark hair and gold eyes with a really weird suit," Roxas explained, looking down to remember.

_That's Vanitas! I don't think I can move my body if I'm stuck here, but if I help Roxas, we can beat him!_

* * *

Ven's body disappeared in a light as Roxas had a light go over his clothes. It was a mixture of his outfit and Ven's. It had the shoulder guard, Roxas's pants, Ven's shoes, and a plain white jacket over a black shirt with a Nobody insignia on it.

"I'll show you what I've got Vanitas!" Although their voices were the same, it could be heard twice, one from Roxas, the other from Ven, surprising Vanitas. In their hands, they held the Oblivion normally and the Wayward Wind backhand.

"Then show me what you've really got," he taunted, holding his keyblade in a stance similar to Riku's.

* * *

**A/N: **That's it for this chapter. I sort of connect Roxas and the Final Form together because I think it would fit. Using a Nobody, Donald, and Goofy to create the ultimate form…of the games. See what I did there?

And I've brought in Lea! Why? Because Lea is so awesome and has a lot of potential in my eyes. If you pair him up with Cloud, you've got one amazing team! Not in a yaoi way, of course. More of a friendship way, since Cloud is sort of like Isa.

Now, I haven't forgotten about Aqua and Ansem, because they're going to be very important very soon. I just want to focus on the battle between Roxas/Ven and Vanitas. I'm going to create a name to fuse their names to refer to them easily. Like we did with Terranort. Just need some time. Because I have a poll already up and have another one right after it, if you have a good name, just PM and I'll consider it.

Also, if you're a good/decent artist and don't mind showcasing your drawing skills, can you help me have a cover for this story? I think it would help it stand out without my normal avatar. If you can, message me about that, and I'll try to find out how to show it with the story.

So, other than that, review if you liked the chapter. I would really appreciate it if you would. See you next time!


	7. Notice read this please

**Okay guys, I just need to tell you guys that this story is up for adoption. I'm putting this as a new chapter so that most of you guys can see this. Sorry if you got your hopes up for a new chapter to read. I just need to say that I'm not going to continue to write this. If you want this story, PM me so that I'll give it to you more privately. I'll send you the previous chapters over email and you can upload them so that the story can be complete all together. So if you want this, do the following in the PM:**

**Put the story name (Since I'm using this for another story)**

**Put your email address **

**Why you want it**

**What your idea for it is**

**And pairing (optional, you don't need to have a pairing, but this is just if you do)**

**Would you still follow the story if I chose somebody else?**

**Just remember: Don't do it in a review, just do it in a PM message, you can find the button right on my profile. The person who gets this story will be notified on the 1****st**** of October. So to keep this like a story, and not get reported for this non-chapter (story), I'll put something here, although it's not related to this story, it's a parody. ****(If nobody is chosen, I'm taking down the story as I will when somebody is chosen)**

Aqua drew a keyblade in the sand in front of her, only for it to be washed away by the tide. "Why can't I at least have a coloring book!?"

Ansem, like the weird guy he was, creeped over to look at her. He had a coloring book and some crayons in his hand. He walked over to her and offered them to her.

Before she grabbed it, he pulled it away. "I need something from you," he said, pulling a creeper face.

"What?" She wondered.

"Can you…give me twenty dollars?" He asked, seeing the Slenderman in the distance.

"Sure, why not?" She gave him twenty dollars and took the coloring book and crayons. She settled down on the sand and started coloring.

"Come here, Slendy!" Ansem called running away with the twenty dollars. "I have some money for you!"

The Slenderman looked over at Aqua's drawing as he ran past her toward Ansem. "Nice picture," Slenderman said.

"Thanks," Aqua answered, hearing Slenderman run to Ansem.


End file.
